The Silencer

"Me in that black and white photo, my world has spread black. I'm so tired, I'm so tired. Now I'm sick of it"
                                                                                        -Colours, Day6

Prologue: The Boy

The wind howled, blowing tiny specks of dusk into the air. Lightning striked, its piercing bright light asundered the darkness like a puzzle piece. The purplish hue in the ever night once again became subtle, then appearing rather slowly to the human's eye. Thunder clapped as if praising the malevolent weather which gradually died down like an echo. Although no stars were twinkling, the sky was dangerously beautiful. There was no soul in sight, saved for the boy who sauntered in a low-lit street. Even though the street wasn't desolated, it was eerily quiet. The boy strolled steathily nevertheless, his trained footsteps denying liberation; his body taut and filled with apprehension. From afar, what seemed like a metallic choker gleamed under the dull light menacingly. The trees, seemingly responded to his presence, rustled and swayed as the sky cracked once again.

The boy continued walking hurriedly. Nervousness buzzed within his being. Oddly, it wasn't because of whatever he was going to do. It is the fact that he hates doing this. Sighing dejectedly, the boy pulled his hood up and stepped into the neon lit building.

The place reeked of  alcohol and sweat unlike the fresh air outside. The heat was oppressive despite the boy being at the entrance. The music was blarring loudly, so loudly that he could hear it before stepping into the club. Scrunching his face in disgust, he walked towards the cashier to gain entry.

"Hello, what do you want kid?" The wiry man grunted, folding his tattooed arms as he bit onto his cigarette which rested at the corner of his lips. In spite of  the obvious discontentment, the boy swiftly fished out his ID and replied decorously. 

"I would like to have the happy hour set stated on the board," he pointed at the board nearest to his left, his eyes never leaving the man's face. "Free flow of drinks today?"

The man leered at him suspiciously, then scanned dubiously at him from top to bottom. As if reading his mind, the boy swooped his credit card and ID out of his pocket and flashed it at the grumpy man.

"I am of age."

"Alright boy, you may enter. Enjoy the night!" The man grumbled begrudgingly. 

Dismayed, the boy took large steps into the club, anxiously wanting to finish this job quickly. He squinted his eyes as numerous chromatic lights shone at him, the colours changing at every blink of his eyes. In addition to the pounding music which made his heart leaped, the boy felt sick to the core. This place just wasn't his style and clearly, he abhorred it. To much of his contempt, he trotted past sweaty bodies which tried grinding against him. Fixing his shirt, he cursed quietly and hoped to find the end of this crowd.

Much to his relief, he found a sofa at the end of the room and just as he was about to plop down on it comfortably, a girl in revealing tight clothes hooked onto him.

"Aren't you too young to be here handsome?" The girl purred, rubbing her against his arms, trying to get his attention. The boy was unfazed by this and merely strugged her hands off, face holding no sign of emotion. "Do you need company?" The girl continued pawing on his arms and crooned in her porpoise-like voice which became difficult to be heard. Her hands found its way to his neck and caressed the silver metal which rest on his neck. "The choker looks good on you," she whispered, "would you like to join me? Upstairs." She giggled upon the newfound excitment.

With an aggravated sigh, the boy turned to her, not looking down to face her since she barely reached his shoulders despite the high heels she wore. "I am not interested, thank you." he seethed, his patience wearing thin. The girl batted her eyelashes and said, "I'll give you the time of your life. Every man enjoys it. I'm sure you will too!"

While she was busy blabbering about how well she does her job, he caught a familiar black figure at the corner of his eyes. 

"Checkmate," he mumbled under his breath. Forgetting about the girl who was still gripping onto his arm and with his remaining free hand, he searched through his jacket for his gun although he knew full well that he will never leave his gun or go anywhere without a weapon. Albeit he forgot to bring his weapon, the man will not leave this place alive. 

The boy walked forward, eager to follow the man but he felt a light tug which led him to a halt. From his peripheral view, the girl struggled a cute pout and squeezed his arm tighter. With a scoff, the boy looked at her point-blanc.

"Why aren't you looking at-"

The girl cupped and gasped in awe and horror. It took a few seconds for her to realise the fear which coarsed through her body, her shoulders trembling in fear and with shaking fingers, she pointed at the younger boy. "W-who are you?" she managed to stutter. The boy looked cooly at her and replied, "Mind your own business would you?". Rolling his eyes, the boy pushed into the crowd to find his target, leaving the girl who gaped like a fish. Finding a man in a crowd like packed tuna isn't easy but his obvious purple hair gave him away. Unlike the void of emotion on his face before, the tip of the boy's lips curled slightly. As if on cue, people paved a way for him, like 'the red carpet' he saw on TV. Walking towards the man, he scanned sitting beside him on the couch.

"Say, why did you come?" The boy took a seat on the couch next to the red couch the man sat on. The man looked at him quizically before reverting to the half girls on each of his sides. Taking a sip of his drink, the man soulessly laughed. 

"Same reason as you," the man gave a lopsided grin while he swirled his wine glass expertly. The boy snorted much to his abhorrence. Clearly, both of them are from two different worlds. The boy took out his silver metal lighter ardently and flicked it on and off repeatedly. There was a pregnant pause as the both of them stared at the flame burning passionately, eyes not wavering at the intense light. 

"Your wife isn't good enough for you?" the younger suggested, reverting his attention to the man and giving him an innocent smile, however not once looking up at him. Two are needed to play the game. The man, caught off guard by his sudden question, halted for a few seconds, jaws and fist clenched not long before he regained his composure. "Don't you know that playing with fire is dangerous? You can get hurt little one," the man whispered nonchalantly, gesticulating for the girls to leave them alone. Seeing the signal, the girls left their seats and sauntered away. After ensuring that the girls were gone, the man maintained eye contact with the younger boy. Despite the unwavering glare, the boy gave a small smile at him and continued flickering his lighter.

"You like playing with fire that much?" the man inched closer to the boy and continued," I'll tell you." He scratched his chin and carressed his chin as if he grown a beard while pondering his next words. "My wife... she is just a chess piece, serving in my kingdom." He took a sip of  his red wine and crossed his legs. "You are just like me, aren't you?" he grinned nefariously, "so young and already cheating your girlfriend?" The man shooked his head mockingly. The boy grinned humourlessly. Two can play the game. He made a 'tch' sound and scooted closer to the man, sitting next to him with utmost valor.

"Then which piece are you?" the boy said with sudden seriousness. The man arched his eyebrow, his face contorted in utter confusion. The boy chuckled and answered his doubt, "If your wife is your servant in your kingdom, then may I ask, which chess piece are you?"

The man looked slightly offended, however was quickly replaced by mirth. He rubbed his chin again and replied cautiously. "The King of course," he looked at the fire which began to bother him, frowning as he laid his gaze on the boy's hands. "Everyone wants to be King. Imagine the power that I will hold," he cackled wickedly at his imagination of his power. He returned his gaze to the boy.

"What about you?" asked the man, almost excitedly.

"Me?" The boy pointed at himself dubiously.

After another pregnant pause, the boy leaned forward next to his ears and whispered dramatically, loud enough for the older man to hear him. 

"In my kingdom, the King holds no power because I am bigger than the King. Just a flick of my fingers and everything topples. Without me, the kingdom falls." 

The man was taken aback by his answer. It was unexpected for the boy to answer him this way, almost as if he was possessed by an uncanny being. Fear was evident on the man's face, beads of perspiration rolled down his forehead. The boy blew out the fire and continued his speech.

"For I am the creator, I hold the power. The lives of the King and the knights are in my hands," the boy stood up and looked at the distant, "I don't obey the rules, the rules obey me. I play the game, while you," he turned and looked directly at the man, this time offering eye contact at the man, "cower in fear." 

With trembling hands, the man reached into his pocket for his pocket knife. Panic overwhelmed him, his breath quickened by a beat. Horror was written all over his face. The idea of escaping hasn't occured to him as fear manipulated his actions. The man stood up, ready to run for his life but the boy who was much faster than him, took out his gun with one hand and stopping the man from reaching his knife with the other, pointed his gun at the man's chest and pinned him down onto his seat. The gun which was polished many times, winked at the man precariously.

"Checkmate," the boy winked at the man mockingly.

"W-Who are you?" the man stuttered, shivering at the sight of the boy's eyes, "your...your eyes..." He blinked again to make sure that this wasn't a dream. He wiggled in his place and struggled to get free of the boy's painful grip. Gritting his teeth as he used his strength to free himself from the relentless weight laid upon him, he looked around to catch the attention of onlookers but to no avail.

"Don't worry, no one will notice you. Perhaps," the boy paused in faux thoughts,"until you die."

"W-what do you want with me?" the man stopped moving as his energy seeped, relinquishing to the apparition in front of him. He could feel the vehement desire to kill him exerting from the boy. "What makes you think I want anything from you?" the boy gasped mockingly with slight aversion, his gun tracing the outlines of the man's collarbone all the way to his throat. "You know what crimes you do: violating the laws conspicuously just for the sake of power, cheating on your wife, yada yada."

Shocked by the boy's knowledge, the man gulped and said, " How... how did you know? Who a-are you? You are so young... y-you can't be-"

"I'm 14," the boy cut in, rolling his eyes. "Any last words?" he moved the position of the gun to his forehead, resuming his pokerface, not wanting to waste anymore time.

"Wh-what's your name?" the man said, hopefully at the thought of changing the subject.

"Hongbin."

With that, he pulled the trigger.

Gosh guys, I took a really long time to update this chapter as I had to rewrite it and change the plot, thanks for waiting and thanks to all my new suscribers! I hope you like the new cover and the new design I created ;). I'm still not sure how to use this site but i'm trying very hard and improving for the best haha. Do comment to give me your opinions! Also, I tried writing this cooly, but it turned out quite... how should i describe it? Horrible and unexpected is all I could say. I would try to re-edit it but it would change the whole prologue, so I'm quite hesitant. 

The Silencer

我指尖吉他的節拍 染上寂寞的純白

Wǒ zhǐ jiān jítā de jiépāi rǎn shàng jìmò de chúnbái

"My fingertips strum to the beat of the guitar, tainted by the pure white of loneliness"

Sing For You, EXO (Chinese Ver.)

Chapter 1: Shadow

Can you see me, tired and exhausted?

The blaring of sirens cut through the once-silent night. People evacuated the club pell-mell helter-skelter to escape the fate of Ashton Grey. In contrast to the frenzied crowd, a boy in black leather jacket sat in the shadows on the curb of the road right in front of the club catching his breath. He took out his silver lighter, flicking it open and close. After realizing his boredom in his repeated actions, he pushes it back into his pocket and sighed, his palms face down on the gravel road and his legs stretch out. Red and blue lights soon filled his vision as cars screeched to a stop in front of the club. Police rushed out of their vehicles and hurriedly detained everyone who came out of the club, temporarily acting as a human barricade. Some of the police tried to cordon the area, only to be pushed roughly.

"I don't know! A-at first I thought he was just drunk, but then I saw something red when the light shone on him and that's when I realised it was blood. I-i saw blood! It's blood, so much blood," the waiter stutters almost incoherently, gesticulating frantically about the incident, his shoulders shaking as he sobs uncontrollably. The officer who is taking his report pats his shoulder and smiles slightly as an act of comfort. "Thanks for your time. You should go and get some rest." The man nods drearily and walks off quietly.

"Sir, we have yet to find a suspect," the police officer reports to his boss.

"Everyone here is a suspect, continue questioning them and don't let any clues slip," he replies grimly, swipping his fringe to the side. The police officer nodded his head in understanding and trotted off to do his job. Ever since he arrived at this murder site, he cannot help but feel goosebumps protruding out of his skin. The feeling of the wind blowing lightly against his skin, embracing his entire being and slowly swallowing him into the darkness. It isn't the feeling of fear.

No, it isn't.

It feels like someone is watching him, it just doesn't feel right. It makes him light-headed, like there should be something he should be noticing, but he doesn't. It makes him agitated because it's crippling his mind and leaving him a bit off track. But he doesn't back down, not because of just some wind. Nothing can affect the famous commisioner who have a 100% success rate in closing every case. He isn't famous for no reason.

"Sir."

One of his subordinates, Daehyun, walks briskly towards him, pushing a scantily dressed girl who walks timidly in front of him. He raises his eyebrow at the sight of the girl, prompting him to speak up.

"She might have seen a suspicious boy hanging around Ashton before he died."

"Details, I need details." He folds his arms and taps his feet impatiently.

"He looks quite young. I don't know how he got into the club, maybe he is of age," she breathes deeply, focusing on how the boy looked like, " I don't know... But he looks too young to be in there. He is dressed in black leather jacket, black shoes... everything is black. The way he stares at people, it's just weird, I can't explain. All I can say is that, my gut tells me that he is dangerous. But it's impossible, he is just too..."

The girl does not continue. She looks horrified, her face pales considerably as she stares into thin air. The man, upon seeing this, clears his throat. "Is there anything else?"

"Umm no... maybe you can ask my colleagues. I heard that a few of them were gossiping about him, about how terrifying his eyes are. One of them said that his eyes is not normal. There are no pupils, it's just X."

Now this is interesting.

The woman chuckles. "It's unbelievable right? A boy who has 'X' eyes, it doesn't make sense." Her breath hitches.

"It's impossible," she whispers.

"Give me a list of your colleagues' names."

Over the past few years, dead bodies were found one after another in different places. However, he has not gotten any leads. All he knows is that they were done by the same person. Boy, whoever the killer is, he is good. There were never any clues left. Despite that there was no evidence showing that this murder case is link to the previous cases, he knew it in his bones. Perhaps, this is a start.

Who are you?

***

It is time to go back. Dawn is breaking and a streak of sunlight perch on Hongbin's face, making him squint at the sudden appearance of light as he strolls out of the shadow. The city is filled with the hustle and bustle of people rushing to work at this early hour. But unlike them, Hongbin is taking his own sweet time walking back, watching the crowd and the cars and honestly, Hongbin feels out of place.

The world revolving around him barely know of his existence; they just keep moving on while Hongbin stays stagnant. He isn't even sure if he's parents remembered his existence in this world. They never once visited him and somehow, it bothers him because where are his parents whom he so truly believed in? Despite that, Hongbin tries to understand his family condition; that they will never leave their son in a sea of corruption; that one day, they will be back for him; that they needed money and thus, he is here. He tries to tell himself everyday that he will wait for them and in return, he will protect them and support them, even if it meant losing a home. Everyone has a home to reside to whereas Hongbin has nowhere to call home. How can he, call a place where he grew up learning how to kill people, a home? As much as Hongbin tries to convince himself everyday that "it's okay, everything will be alright", he can't help but think that what if his parents knew of his existence. He knows that 'if' is a really dangerous word, but he cannot stop himself from crossing the line and consider deeply that even if they knew, will they save him?

Yet again, Hongbin tells himself that it's okay because he knows that he is different and that even if his parents tried saving him, it is impossible. Hongbin has changed a lot to become someone he never imagined he will be. Who would risk their life for a mere boy who is not worth saving? After all, humans have their own limits and one day, they are bound to give up trying. Hongbin wants to blame his family for not putting an ounce of effort into saving him, but then again, he questions his worth and decides that it's okay.

He continues to head in the same direction, almost reaching his destination when he sees a candy shop which catches his attention. The candy shop has a plethora of variety: each one of them varies in different size, shapes and colours. All of them look tantalising and Hongbin has never seen anything like this before. He is mesmerized by the array of coloured candies and he didn't understand where the sudden urge to buy one of them comes from. Nevertheless, he goes in, swiftly picks a rainbow heart shaped candy and pays at the cashier. Bewildered by the childish nature he was portraying, the cashier - an old lady- stared at him morbidly as he let out a soft giggle, his eyes turning into the shape of crescent. Oblivious to the weird gaze that he is receiving, Hongbin skipped out of the shop and pops the lollipop into his mouth. Without any last thoughts, he canters his way into the last place he will ever want to be at.

The Mathias & Co. building.

***

In the eyes of the beholder, Mathias & Co. is just another company which does successfully well in their business, prospering to new heights till the stage where they bought over their own building in the middle of the city. However, anyone working in that building know full well what they are working for - the secret service owned by the government namely House Of Cards, also widely known as HOC. HOC is often partnered with the CIA and sometimes they are trained together.

At first when Hongbin found out that the HOC is placed in the middle of the city, he almost laughed out loud for their stupidity as the building is undoubtly conspicuous. However as he grew up, he realised that it is an ingenious idea to hide in plain sight because the hidden are not hidden at all. Because what you see is not what it may seem, that he learnt.

As he is about to step into the lift, the middle age woman at the counter, Samantha, calls for him.

"Hongbin!" She runs to him, panting loudly.

"Yes Sam?" he replies, eyeing her top to bottom at her breathless state.

"Xander is looking for you," she pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath, "he is raging about something...about you taking a long time from your," she hesitates before continuing again, "job...you know, everyone is afraid of him. I can smell his temper from here."

With a loud dramatic sigh, Hongbin replied, "Ah that old man again."

This earns him a light slap from the woman in her motherhood. "Ow!" Hongbin rubs his back, faking his pain. "What was that for?" he frowned a little and gives her a pointed look.

"Respect your elderly," the woman in return glares at him which makes the teenage boy chuckles. "Alright mum, I will look for him now, see you soon!"

With that, Hongbin grins widely, waving at the woman as he steps into the escalator. As soon as he steps inside, his smile wears off and is replaced by his usual pokerface. He scans his fingerprint and his eyes before pressing a certain button which allows him access to the lift. The lift travels upwards and a loud 'ding' can be heard when it has reached its floor. When he saunters out towards his superior's office, he feel the heavy gaze of the office workers who have stopped typing away. Whispers errupts which is subtle but not imperceptible to Hongbin's ears.

"Look! The baby is back."

"How did he get in to HOC? With the loads of cash in his pocket? I doubt so it's with his skills."

"I'm sure he can't fight."

"Where is his millionaire parents? Ha, I bet they didn't want him and left him here."

That last comment catches Hongbin's attention. Although he knows that they say awful comments about him to anger him, he hates him whenever someone comments about his family member when they did not know them at all. He halt his steps and turns to look for the one who commented about his family. With his hands in his pockets and his eyes stick to the floor, he gait towards his 'prey'.

"What did you just say?" he growled, almost animalistically.

"Soooo I was right?" the American teased, grinning willfully. A tingling urge to punch him filled Hongbin as he clenched his jaws and fist tightly, controlling himself from the violence. The onlookers chortled at the sight and continue to whisper blatantly.

"Tell me, how did you get in to HOC?" he says with disdain laced in his voice. "Don't tell me, let me guess... Your parents' money?" he smirks, knowing that he has crossed the line. The onlookers gasp mockingly and continue to watch the drama.

"You better watch what you say," Hongbin says darkly, his lollipop still in his mouth. He hates it when someone comments about his family, especially when they weren't true. Hongbin's parents were not rich. In fact, it was the complete opposite. They are struggling so hard to keep a roof above their heads and feed the current family of three, excluding Hongbin.

He hates it how everyone pretends that they know him so well, although they do not know him one tiny bit. Hongbin was asked to keep the 'rich family' facade, that his parents sent him here to learn how to be independent. Scratch that, he was forced to because we wouldn't want them to know, would we? How can a 14-year-old boy work in a secret service? So, he had to kept the facade of being weak and rich to keep away people from suspecting. He had no choice. However the people in HOC make it so difficult for Hongbin to keep up with his facade.

People, Hongbin thinks, are so full of themselves, often trying to fix the puzzle pieces by putting them in place, never realising that they have missed out tiny important details, thinking that they have already unraveled the world when they have not even figured out the big picture. In this case, the agents thought that they have already unravelled the world of Lee Hongbin.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man gloats derisively with not even a tiny bit of sincerity, "did I offend you in any way?"

Just when Hongbin is ready to land his punch, a resounding voice channels into the air.

"Be quiet," a man in his late forties commands and the room immediately descends into silence. "Stop being immature, you are serving the nation, not studying in kindergarden," he glares at each and everyone of the workers before continuing, "do you have no work to do? Should I add more work to your work load?"

The onlookers quicky shake their heads and instantly march back to their seats obediently. Hongbin almost snicker at the sight but stops when he sees that the man has turned to glare at him.

"You," he points at Hongbin, "come to my office."

The office workers, thinking that Hongbin has gotten into serious trouble, laugh triumphantly. Hongbin stomped into his office and openly sulks. He closes the door with a loud thump and sits on the comfortable orange chair in front of his office table, turning it and swinging it to whichever direction he pleases.

"You are late," Xander says gruffly to which Hongbin only replies with a "Hmmph".

"Can you stop turning the chair? It's making my head hurt," his superior, Xander dissuades, rubbing onto his temper. Compunction permeates in Hongbin as he stops his childish act, planting his feet on the ground.

"Did you finish the job?"

"Yes sir," Hongbin answers disgruntedly. He hates how the first question he ever asks is about the job. He understands that Xander is just trying to fulfill his job, however he just didn't like how the man disregard him and his welfare. Saying that Hongbin hates him is a total understatement. He loathes Xander. To Hongbin, Xander is a heartless man who only cares about his career and making sure that Hongbin renders his job. Being his superior for years, Xander knows of the constant bullying towards Hongbin. Even with Hongbin's continual complaint, he stays idle about it and does nothing at all. Hence, Hongbin balked, knowing that his persuasion will only be shrugged off as 'attention seeking' or a 'childish act'.

Combing his grey hair back, the nearly-fifty-years-old man lets out an aggravated sigh. He pushes his black spectacles up his nose bridge which was previously hanging at the tip of his nose and continues to rub his temper.

"Don't you know how to behave?" the man asks, annoyed.

"I always behave," says Hongbin innocently, "unless you did not take any notice of me." His eyebrows quirk up as he spins his chair again in disinterest.

"You need not talk back to your elders, do you?" Xander bellows.

"I did not, I was merely trying to protect myself!" Hongbin says indignantly, instantly planting his foot down on the floor to stop the chair from spinning.

"You are making the problem bigger although you knew they were mere threats," Xander speaks calmly, looking at his finger nails as if the matter did not concern him, and truly, it does not.

"But they were-"

"Just go for your next schedule."

Hongbin wants to retort back about how unbelievable he is, but the words are stucked in his throat and all he can do is to fuss about it and throw a temper. The thing about Hongbin is, he always, always, always keeps his anger which places him in a "bullied" category, making him seem weak. Those 'categories' were what made up the House Of Cards - a social and power ranking. Not so surprisingly, Hongbin was ranked one of the lowest socially, almost like a caste system which left him almost friendless - powerless. Ironically, he is the most powerful person in HOC, physically powerful that the higher ups fear him.

Silently, Hongbin walks towards the door but stops inevitably when Xander calls him.

"Please wear your contact lenses. No one is-"

"I know what I'm supposed to do," Hongbin cuts in indignantly, gritting his teeth in anger, "thanks so much for your 'concern'."

With that, he slams the door and steps out of his office, only to be greeted with giggles of the office workers. He sighs exasperatedly and uses his fingers to run through his hair. As much as he hates them, he has no rights to do anything. The most he would have done is to glare at them, however his contact lenses are not intact and he had left it in his room before the assignment.

Before going to his next schedule which is training practice (he detests it a lot, who doesn't?), he goes to his room which is one of the highiest floor in the building where no one lives in, only Hongbin. In that floor, Hongbin lives in that one particular room. One would wonder why he doesn't occupy the whole floor and call him stupid but there was always a reason. As he opens the door to his room which has not much furniture placed inside, he carries a box stacked on another pile of boxes and rummages through it to find his clothes.

Hongbin doesn't own much - just a few pieces of clothings and a picture frame of his family. Other than that like his bed, he doesn't really consider it his because he did not use his own money to buy it. Seeing the few pieces of clothing he owns, Hongbin makes a mental note to remind himself to go and get some clothes before he is left with none. He sits down on his thin mattress supported by a metal stand, and appreciates the peace which surrounds him to which he realises how empty his 'appartment' is.

The three walls which made up his room is plain white except for the glass panel wall. That is probably the only connection Hongbin ever had with society; the reason why he loves that particular window so much because he can look out and see people without anyone freaking out, in another words, peacefully. In this room , he can be himself. He can let out his emotions, he can have time to think of his life. At the same time, he can enjoy the landscape view. He likes to see that there are lives beneath him and to know that he isn't the only living creature, assuring him that time is constantly moving instead of his subconscious feeling that time is stagnant. He likes how the sunlight kisses his face and the clouds hover above in the sky. It gives him a tiny bit of hope - to hope for a better day.

Hongbin likes to think that the sky is his supporter; it is what keeps him going; keeps him hoping and whenever he feels like giving up, the sun and the azure blue sky is there for him, almost as if berating him of slacking and not finishing his duties. The memory of his family laughing happily hits him, rendering a paroxysm of adrenaline. He realizes how selfish he was to let go of everything and promised to give them a better life.

And that is what kept his heart beating.

***

Hongbin did not go for his morning training, instead he took a nap that he missed out on the previous night due to his job at the night club. Cupping his mouth, he yawns as the tears form at the brink of his eyes. He looked at the clock on the wooden table beside his bed and realises that it's thirty minutes before the next training starts. He make a grab for his training clothes and changes into it, not bothering to comb his curly, nest-like hair. Making use of his long legs, he takes big steps to the elevator and goes to the canteen to eat his lunch.

The canteen is filled with countless of agents, all eating with their cliques. The smell of coffee wafted into his nose just as he stepped into the canteen. People outwardly stare at him, following his every movement but after not receiving any entertainment from him, they continue with their breakfast.

"Hi Uncle, how are you doing?" Hongbin stands in front of the Japanese food stall and speaks in fluent Japanese.

"Aye Hongbin, it's been so long that you've eaten here. I'm fine as always, how are you? Where have you been? Don't tell me you are skipping meals you silly boy!" he replies while cooking for a male staff in front of him. This man is one of Hongbin's favourite person. It isn't because they are very close or anything like that, but it's because he is one of the people that has been treating him really nicely and cordially. Hongbin does not have much friends, in fact, he has more fiends than friends.

With the massive amount of people who hates him, it is terribly hard for Hongbin to find a friend. Furthermore, his social circle is so small, like an onion ring. Okay, maybe it is a huge exaggeration. Like a gummy donut sweet. He isn't allowed to go out of this building unless he was given a job to do. Many normal things that he should do are restricted. He does not have the freedom he deserves. Hongbin tries not to think of what he can't do. Instead, he finds ways to do what he cannot despite how many times he tells himself that he does not deserve such freedom.

"I'm really fine Uncle. I was just really busy with my job and everything," he swipes his fringe to the back, revealing his milky white forehead. "It is tiring sometimes," Hongbin admits.

The Japanese man with a portbelly pours the miso soup from the pot to the agent's bowl. With a 'thank you', the agent leaves and carries his tray to his group of colleagues. Then, he pours one bowl for Hongbin and got him to sit on the chair nearest to his stall. Without another word exchange, the man named Taka rushed to his stove and prepared a meal for Hongbin.

"You should eat more. And don't think so much. Perhaps, you think too much. Overthinking kills you and I suggest you to stop it or it becomes harmful." Taka rubs his stubby chin and takes a sit on the metal chair. He watches Hongbin hungrily devours every nook and cranny of the bowl, as if he hasn't eaten for days.

"This is too good," Hongbin says with his mouth full, rice spitting out of his mouth with every word he says. "You should open a restaraunt out there! And then maybe you will get famous," he gesticulates wildy, " and maybe I will get free food."

Hongbin grinned evily at Taka who just laughed and ruffled his hair.

"In your dreams. Besides, the pay here is good. Who will ever want to shift when I don't have to pay rent?"

"Save your excuses, you just want to see my lovely face," Hongbin pointed at his chiselled face and smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Taka rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he cannot fanthom how Hongbin ends up here. He is too naive for his own good, too kind for his own good, too soft for his own good. Getting hurt is inevitable for Hongbin and that is the last thing Taka wants for him. He does not deserves all this treatment. Even so, he cannot do anything to help him but to stand idle.

"Look at how you eat, you eat like you haven't eat in ages." Taka snorts at the ridiculous sight. Rice are all over the table and Hongbin is sipping onto his soup loudly. "You eat like a savage."

"I do not." Hongbin denies childishly, stomping his legs a little.

"Oh before I forget." His voice is muffled by the metal spoon in his mouth while he reaches into his back pocket, soup threatening to ooze out of his mouth. He unfolds a piece of crumpled note and puts it on the table.

The older man sighed.

"How many times did I tell you? The money doesn't matter boy, just repay me by eating more."

"But-"

"No buts. You are in a growing stage, you should eat more. We need you to be more handsome right?" Taka teases.

Hongbin pouted cutely, but he knows that aegyo will not affect this man's decisions. He returned to his pokerface and glared at him. "Ugh, why are you like that..." Hongbin grumbled, mumbling something about needing money for retirement.

"Hongbin."

Hongbin stiffened, he knew that voice all too well. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who reacted to his presence. The whole canteen went quiet.

Without turning back, Hongbin continued sipping onto his soup.

"What do you want?" he asked, annoyed.

"Come to my office." Now all eyes in the canteen turned to him.

Hongbin mumbled incredulously, "Does this ever ends?"

***

"Hyung, the boy registered his name as Hongbin, with a credit card and a fake ID."

The comissioner pondered. How is it possible to create a fake ID which looked so real that nobody realise it's faux?

Hongbin.

Himchan gulped. He had never seen anything like this, but being in the police force meant experiencing newer things right? He looked at his paper and said stoically, "We questioned the girl who claimed that the boy has weird creepy eyes. She said that she was trying to attract his attention since he is handsome and his clothes screamed rich. No matter how much she tries to woo him, he wouldn't budge. Instead, he glared at the girl. That is when she saw those eyes."

"A CCTV at the entrance caught him. There was nothing really abnormal about him, except for his Man In Black concept, plus the cap he wore."

The Comissioner took the laptop that was handed to him and played the recording.

Who are you?

"It's weird, isn't it?" Daehyun spoke, "Why would he be in the club if he isn't there for women?"

"Maybe he is there for drugs or maybe he is part of a gang," Himchan added, his fingers tapping onto his chin, the other hand busying with twirling his pen.

"Oh what would you know hyung?" Daehyun snorted, "Can we ever believe whatever you hypothesize? The last time we listened to you, I ended up on a bed drugged and handcuffed."

"That's because you seduced the wrong guy dolt!"

"Who are you calling-" Daehyun was cut off by a deep voice that have not spoke from the start. A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh what do you know... Expect the unexpected." He clicked his tongue.

The black and white screen showed three words vertically on the boy's neck. A tattoo, to be specified. It wasn't easy spotting it, it was so tiny on the CCTV that he had to zoom in just to see it clearly. How many people in this world would have a tattoo at the neck like this? He squinted at the words. Five other boys who was sitting on the rectangle table around him with their laptops and paper hastily gathered behind him to see the screen.

"What's that?" The youngest man with brownish, blonde hair asked quizically.

The 7th Sense

I know, it's boring. TT TT I'm so sorry that i took so long to post this up. i've re-written this like 9999 times and i can't come to conclusion which is good. And also about the grammer errors, i know there's a lot, but really, i'm lazy to edit it again Zzzz...

Here's my shameless promotion for Monsta X and BAP even though this is a VIXX fanfic :P. If you haven't watch Monsta X's beautiful and BAP's wake me up, PLEASE watch now <3 thanks lovelies hehe

The Silencer

歩いてた　傘もささず つま先に落ちたのは 雨粒じゃなかった

aruiteta kasa mo sasazu, tsuma saki ni ochita no wa, bara tsubu janakatta

I walked without even holding up an umbrella. What was falling at the tips of my toes, weren’t drops of roses.

FTISLAND, To The Light (Japanese Ver.)

Chapter 2: Lose (Part 1)

Escape is my fantasy, never a reality.

Two guards strolled down the empty hallway, hands gripping tightly on a young scrawny boy. The boy, despite his age, knew what was happening, yet at the same time, he was bewildered. He knew that he was captured but he did not know what the men want with him. He was just 6 years old, still pure and innocent. What would the men want with him? He was blindfolded with a thick piece of black cloth, his hands cuffed in some metal gadgets he saw it on movie screen when the good guys were trying to catch the bad guys. He could feel the cold metal touching his skin, creating a small friction whenever he tried to move his hands. If this metal thing was for bad guys, is he one too?

He stumbled and tripped, trying to catch up with the burly men' footsteps. Blame it on his short legs, he could not walk properly as he was manhandled. "Let me go!" He struggled within his bonds, shaking off their tight grip on his arms in a futile atempt.

"What do you want with me?" His shoulder's trembled a little, but he willed himself not to cry. He will be a brave boy for his parents.

"I want to go home," he sounded desperately, panic arising in his chest, his mind a blank piece of white. He had to get out. He had to.

"Shut up boy."

He heard a door creaked open and the shuffling of feet. Soon, he felt the grip on his arms loosen. His blindfold came off, but not his handcuffs. The sudden white light diffused, rendering him blind. Slowly, his vision slipped in. He took a look at his surrounding, everything was either white or metallic. The boy felt fear tingling at the bottom of his stomach, bile surging to his throat.

"Sir, we brought him," The guards stood at attention. Heart pumping in a capricious manner, the poor boy looked up, mouth gaping open. There, stood a man in a dark blue suit, his shirt neatly tucked in, almost as if he was a business man. Except that he isn't. He had a slim, muscular and a symmetrical face; his hair had a rich, lustrous chocolate colour; his eyebrows had a strong arched. There isn't a single imperfection on him. He had that kind of face which would make girls fall for him in a second. The boy was stunned by his looks. He guessed that the man is used to people staring at him, since the man's nonchalent gaze on him did not falter. His vivid baby blue eyes pierced the boy, making him shudder. Feeling inferior, the boy timidly looked away, obviously not comfortably with the stares.

"Where am I?" The boy tried to sound fearless, however the crack in his voice gave him away. The man raised his eyebrows and his lips twitched into a small smile in amusement.

"Hello little one," the man's surprising deep voice resonated, a menacing glint in his eyes, mouth curling into a twisted smile. Reality began to hit the boy like a twenty-pound sledgehammer.

"W-who are y-you?" the boy stammered, biting his lips, "where is Appa and Omma?"

The man was tall. Compared to Hongbin, the man was like a giant tree, towering over him, making him feel so small.

"Where a-am I? Where are my parents? P-please, I want to go home." The boy pleaded for an answer but he was met with silence. Nevertheless, he never give up. His eyes lit ablaze with sheer determination.

The man scratched his chin as he pondered explaining to the child. "How should I explain to you, little one?"

"Your appa and omma don't want you anymore" The man deadpanned.

Saying that the boy has pretty eyes was an understatement, they are beautiful and captivating. Tears began to well up in the boy's eyes as he thrashed around, attempting to get the cuffs off him. The boy wanted to get out of this eerie place, his mind twirling in utter confusion.

The man in suit, strode towards him, ignoring his tantrum and cupped his hands on the boy's chin who immediately jerked and flinched. The boy was petrified, not a muscle moved while the man studied his facial features. He tensed at his touch and took in deep breaths to stop his tears from flowing down, looking elsewhere, anywhere, other than the man. He didn't want to be seen as weak, although he already felt so menial compared to the men in the room.

"What's your name?" the man said softly, trying not to scare the boy. Then he knelt down and looked at him in the eye. However, this scared the young boy more, as he replayed the man's question again and again in his head, trying frantically to grasp it.

"H-hongbin," the boy's voice cracked, fear etched in his voice.

Silence.

"Get him washed up." And with a snap of his fingers, the two guards began to pull him away out of the room.

"W-where am I-I?" The young boy stuttered, big fat tears rolled down his face, his heart rate increasing erratically. The man looked slightly amused, mouth curling into a grin like a Cheshire Cat. He beamed so widely that Hongbin thought that his mouth might get stuck in that awkward position.

"Oh my dear boy," he laughed maniacally, "welcome to Hell."

***

"What is it this time?"

"Is this how you speak to your boss?"

"Oh please," Hongbin rolled his eyes. "Now are we talking about respect? Because I can spend the whole day discussing this with you."

His boss stayed silent, taken aback by his sudden audacity. He slammed a report on the desk in front of Hongbin whose smug face fell as soon as he scanned through the first few sentence of the report.

According to witnesses, it is said that a boy was seen suspicious in the club. He is suspected to be underage. It is rumoured that the boy have abnormal eyes although we cannot confirm this yet.

-B.A.P

Hongbin's heart was pumping wildly, he could not believe his eyes but yet he knew it's his fault. Finally, there is evidence about him. His mind raced frantically, speechless beyond words. Tongue tied, he could only stare at the report, baffled.

B.A.P is one of the most famous and successful team led by the Commissioner himself. They were a group of Korean men who made their way to the top of the hierarchy. Wherever you are, be it the police academy, you would have at least heard of B.A.P.

Xander eyed Hongbin cautiously. The boy showed no emotions; no fear, no guilt.

"Explain. What is this?" Xander stood up with so much force that his roller chair toppled with a loud thud, his voice scarily calmed.

Hongbin was a bit terrified. He have not seen Xander this angry before. Yes, he did get scolded from Xander before, but it wasn't this scary. He was too silent to be angry.

"Explain to me. Didn't you have many things to say before this?" Xander almost shouted. He walked closer, decreasing the distance between him and Hongbin, his thighs touching the glass table.

Hongbin said nothing. He lowered his head as he didn't know how to explain his blunder. It was his fault indeed. How could he forget?

"Nothing to say?" he paused, waiting for an answer. Hongbin could see his jaw tense as he tried to fight back his anger.

"Let's start from your carelessness. How many times have I reminded you to wear your contacts?" His voice increased as his face became a shade of red. If Xander wasn't this angry, then maybe Hongbin would have laughed.

Xander brought his hands to his face and rubbed it grumpily. There was silence as none of them said anything. The silence was so intensified that Hongbin could hear his own heartbeat. He had to remind himself that the buzzing near his ear was not anything else but silence.

There was a sigh. A sigh giving up.

"Get out," he growled.

And Hongbin knew better than to not follow orders.

***

Xander was trying hard to keep his cool, tapping his foot on the hard floor to forget his anger which was on the verge of exploding. He never liked that teenager; always stirring trouble for him; always putting his job on the line, always having to babysit him, as if he wasn't already busy enough. As much as he hate to admit it, the boy was something. He was good at what he does, a natural, that's what they call. He is his best agent, not to mention that he is the youngest. At first, Xander did not believe that this young boy could actually even kill a fly. He was so innocent when he first arrived here, eyes as big as the moon, baby fats still clinging onto his cheeks, the childish spark still lit up in his eyes.

One could see that Hongbin was a ball of sunshine. He didn't belong to this dull and dreary p